BALTIMORE (Interstat) — Kyle Bradish pitched 6 2/3 innings of two-hit baseball and the Baltimore Orioles used a balanced power attack to defeat the Kansas City Royals 6-1 on Saturday at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

The Orioles, who have won two straight, improved to 45-51 while the Royals fell to 38-58. Bradish, who entered with a 5-9 record, struck out five and allowed one earned run. He yielded only a seventh-inning single to Jac Caglianone and a single to Michael Massey later in the same inning. Bradish’s outing ended after he walked Vinnie Pasquantino and then gave up a sacrifice fly to Salvador Perez that accounted for Kansas City’s only run.

Noah Cameron started for Kansas City and took the loss, dropping to 5-7. Cameron worked 5 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks.

Baltimore’s offense struck first in the second inning. Pete Alonso led off with a double to center field, his 17th of the season, and scored on a single by Samuel Basallo. Basallo was thrown out trying to advance to second on the throw from right fielder Caglianone to shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., but the damage was done.

The Orioles broke the game open in the fourth. After Adley Rutschman lined out, Taylor Ward drew a walk. Alonso followed with a home run to center field, his 21st, scoring Ward and giving Baltimore a 3-0 lead.

Coby Mayo added a solo home run in the fifth, a fly ball to left field, his 12th, stretching the lead to 4-0.

Taylor Ward contributed his own solo shot in the sixth, a fly ball to right field, his sixth, making it 5-0.

The Royals finally got on the board in the seventh. Caglianone singled to center and advanced to second on a groundout by Lane Thomas. Pasquantino walked, and a wild pitch from Bradish moved Caglianone to third. Perez lifted a sacrifice fly to center fielder Leody Taveras, scoring Caglianone. Massey singled to left, but Nick Loftin grounded into a forceout to end the inning.

Baltimore answered in the eighth. Gunnar Henderson led off with a home run to right center, his 17th, pushing the lead to 6-1.

The Royals managed only two hits in the game — the singles by Caglianone and Massey — and struck out 11 times. Kansas City’s other base runners came on an error by second baseman Jackson Holliday in the third and a walk to Carter Jensen in the same inning, but Witt popped out to end that threat.

Baltimore’s bullpen closed the game effectively. Grant Wolfram pitched a scoreless eighth inning, striking out two. Yennier Cano recorded one out in the ninth with a strikeout, and Tyler Wells finished the game with a strikeout.

For Baltimore, Henderson finished 1 for 4 with a home run and an RBI. Ward went 1 for 3 with a home run and an RBI. Alonso went 1 for 3 with a double and a two-run homer. Mayo went 1 for 3 with a solo home run. Basallo went 1 for 3 with an RBI single. The other Orioles hitters — Rutschman, Tyler O’Neill, Taveras and Holliday — combined to go 0 for 13 with four strikeouts.

For Kansas City, Caglianone went 1 for 4 with a run scored. Massey went 1 for 4. The rest of the Royals lineup — Jensen, Witt, Collins, Thomas, Pasquantino, Perez and Loftin — combined to go 0 for 26 with nine strikeouts and two walks.

The game lasted 2 hours, 10 minutes. Attendance was 28,958.

The series continues Sunday with the Royals and Orioles playing the rubber match. Kansas City then returns home to host the San Diego Padres on Friday, while Baltimore travels to Houston to open a series against the Astros.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Baltimore 5, Kansas City 4. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Baltimore with a 56.60 percent probability to win. Baltimore had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total score of 7 went over the over-under line of 9.